São Paulo – The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, begins on Wednesday (13) at an impasse: what to do with the “principle of common but differentiated responsibility”, one of the main themes of the talks between negotiators and one that distributes “tasks” to each country in the search for a green economy and sustainable development. Also in the centre of debates is the importance of developing countries and the strengthening of international organisations to demand compliancy with these targets.
The secretary general at the Rio+20, the Chinese Sha Zukang, arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday (11) and said that negotiators may only reach a consensus during the summit itself, to take place from the 20th to the 22nd of this month. “People always show their cards at the last minute,” he said, in a press conference.
Adhesion of a country, company or class organisation to a document that imposes regulations about the climate adds cost, development of technology, greater investment and costly processes that have an impact on each sector of the economy and of the society. Nobody wants to make more concessions and run the risk of spending and losing more than the competition. For this reason, negotiators only show their proposals after all negotiation resources have been exhausted.
This should also take place at Rio+20 as one of the paragraphs of “draft zero”, the document forecasting what the signatories will have to do to reach a green and inclusive economy, covers the “principle of common but differentiated responsibility”.
This principle determines that all countries have common responsibilities in the search for a fairer, more inclusive, less polluting and more sustainable world. Simultaneously, however, this principle, agreed on at the Eco92, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years ago, determines that rich countries must make greater concessions than emerging nations. This “rule” is based on the evaluation that it was the development of the rich nations that resulted in the current environmental situation of the planet and that development of emerging nations will be limited due to the need for consumption of fewer resources.
The rich, who do not want to make greater concessions than the emerging nations, wish for all to share the responsibilities. The emerging nations, however, do not want to share the cost. Among those considered “rich” is the United States. One of the emerging nations is China.
Another theme on which negotiations are centred is the way in which some developing nations will obtain resources to adapt to the demands of a green economy.
For this reason, the document forecasts that the heads of state of countries signing the document should “offer new financing sources, additional and expanded to developing countries”. The zero draft also suggests that international financial institutions support sustainable development projects in emerging nations.
Another topic is the establishment of a UN agency specialized in the Environment or the strengthening of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), established in 1972. Defenders of creation of a World Environment Agency believe that it will have greater power to demand compliancy with the norms established at environment conventions. Those who defend the strengthening of the UNEP, in turn, believe that it would be easier to strengthen and improve an organisation that already exists by pumping in resources.
*Translated by Mark Ament
